Newark, MD, August 22, 2023– Today, the Maryland State Department of Education released statewide performance data with Worcester County Public Schools outperforming the majority of school systems in the State across content areas.
During the State Board of Education meeting, State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury and staff provided an update on student performance on state assessments administered in spring 2023 in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.
Statewide, student proficiency rates in ELA are at their highest in nearly a decade with the largest single-year gain in grades 3-8 over the same time period. In Worcester County, student performance on the spring ELA assessments in grades 3-8 topped all other school systems in Maryland with 68 percent of students scoring as proficient or higher, 21 percentage points above the state average (See Figure 1.) and nearly 4 percentage points above last year’s proficiency level. A particular highlight are Worcester County’s middle school aged students who tested in spring 2023. Countywide, fourth graders’ proficiency grew by 9 percentage points; fifth graders’ proficiency grew by 8 percentage points, and sixth graders proficiency grew by 8 percentage points.
At the high school level, 73 percent of Worcester County students taking the English 10 assessment scored proficient, topping the state average by 19 percentage points, and landing second overall in the state behind Calvert County. (See Figure 2.)
While statewide Mathematics performance data has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, data from local assessments such as i-Ready show Worcester students meeting or exceeding pre-pandemic levels in all grade levels. On the MCAP, this strength is reflected in Grades 3-8 Mathematics as Worcester County exceeded the state average in Grades 3-8 Mathematics by 23 percentage points. Worcester's proficiency rate of 47.3 percent is a nearly 10 percentage point gain over last year and is more than double next highest growth seen in the state. (See Figures 3 and 4.) All grade levels in Worcester County experienced growth from last year’s proficiency levels with fourth graders making tremendous strides by growing 15 percentage points over last year. Sixth graders also saw significant growth, climbing 12 percentage points over last year’s proficiency levels.
Similar to scores in earlier grades, student performance statewide in Algebra I grew approximately 3 percentage points from year to year. Over 27 percent of students in Worcester County reached proficiency, representing a one percentage point increase from 2022. Worcester County’s student proficiency level data ties for second in the state with Anne Arundel County and behind only Howard County. (See Figure 5.)
Figure 1: Source - https://marylandpublicschools....
Figure 2: Source - https://marylandpublicschools....
Figure 3: Source - https://marylandpublicschools....
Figure 4: Source - https://marylandpublicschools....
Figure 5: Source - https://marylandpublicschools....
“Today’s results were a testament to the hard work of our students and the dedication of our teachers and leaders,” Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor said. “While it is validating that our scores are consistently leading the State, I believe what is most important with these scores is the growth we are seeing from year to year. Our collective efforts are making an impact, and I hope our community is proud to see this positive progress for our students.”
The full presentation of statewide scores can be viewed as a part of the State Board of Education’s livestream at https://marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Pages/meeting-agendas/2023/2023-08-22.aspx. The source material for the images used above is the document entitled “2023 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science Results” located on the same webpage.